‘Forever war’ is now officially part of U.S. foreign policy. A pair of letters recently sent by the Departments of Defense and State reveal that U.S. troops deployed to Syria for anti-ISIS operations are settling in for an open-ended presence in the war-torn country.

Just three years ago, gay and lesbian troops could not serve openly, Saturday, gay service members aboard Kadena Air Force Base on the island of Okinawa in Japan took to the stage to perform and raise money for charity.